I have ordered from Thousands of Bolts more than once and always been happy with the order.

I try to buy only fabric lines I have seen in person because I have bought fabric a few times that the color looked way different in person than on the computer and like you I don't have dollars to waste so I am very picky about what fabric I buy online. Or if I am buying for a project I try to stay within the same line so I know it matches

I just bought some from thousands of bolts. about $3.95 and $4.95 a yard but there is shipping too. They had a really good selection and a way to look at all the fabrics in one line.

There are plenty of bargains online, and a bunch of places that sell second-rate fabrics too.

You can often find really good fabrics at closeout prices. You won't be getting the latest fabrics, and you won't be getting timeless fabrics that never go out of style, and you won't have the best selection, but it will be good quality.

I'd be wary of any place selling fabric for 1 or 2 dollars a yard though, it'll probably be worth about what you pay for it.

Many places will send you small samples of fabric, so you can make sure you're getting the right color and you like the fabric before you commit to a larger purchase. You probably won't be able to get samples of sale fabrics or closeout fabrics from many places though.

Speaking as an online shop owner, I'd rather spend the money to send out a sample than I would have a buyer send a purchase back because it's the wrong color, or they didn't like it for some other reason.

I have had excellent experience with Connecting Threads

I too am on a fixed budget & I've been getting great deals online at several places. Some have already been listed. I also use cottonpatchfabrics.com. They're very helpful & have never let me down! Something I do to get familiar with all the online shops is join the fab shop hop and find bunnies at a list of sites each month. Sometimes I win gift certificates & recently was notified of being a 2nd prize winner of a $25.00 package. It all helps to build up my fabric stash or sometimes works in progress. You'll see bunnies on some sites & it'll tell you how to register.

With fabric.com you can send it back free if you don't like it. I've already done it a number of times. There's no risk, and if you order over $35 shipping is free, so it doesn't cost you a cent to try out fabrics you are interested in.

I purchased a lot of fabric online, and have never been disappointed with the quality. My favorite site is 1000's of bolts and only one nut. Good luck to you and have a good time quilting

I have had good luck with Marshalls Dry Goods and craftconn.com.

I've bought from almost every site mentioned previously. Never a problem. Connecting Threads and Thousands of Bolts & One Nut are my two favorites. Keepsake Quilting's Block of the Month kits are WAY generous with material - so much so that I made a scrap quilt out of the leftovers.